Reunited at 80: Childhood sweethearts separated by war finally tie the knot after 70 years

THEY say that true love lasts forever.

And a couple whose parents' disapproval meant they would spend 70 years on opposite sides of the world - are finally to tie the knot this weekend.

Bob Humphries, 89, and Bernie Bluett, 87, were childhood sweethearts but lost touch during World War II.

After meeting as children, Bernie was a teenager and working as a dressmaker when the war broke out, but had already fallen madly in love with Bob.

"There was something between us. We didn’t say a word, but there was a terrific attraction,’’ she said.

However, Bob had to go away to war and by 1943, aged 18, Bernie was conscripted to the Royal Air Force as a triage nurse and sent to Wales, patching up air crews and pilots as they flew back from Europe.

The couple first met more than 70 years ago (Pic: Apex)

I thought well here's a couple of elderly people who could help one another in one way or another

Bob Humphries

Bob wrote to her regularly from France, but unknown to both of them, his letters were never passed on by Bernie's parents who disapproved of the relationship.

With the missives having seemingly dried up, she later met Roy Bluett – a Kiwi bomber pilot who had spent most of the war recovering from a crash which shattered both his legs.

The pair went on to marry and she emigrated to New Zealand where she has lived ever since.

Bob, meanwhile, also married after thinking Bernie had simply rejected his love and the pair remained apart for seven decades.

Bob Humphries, 89, and Bernie Bluett, 87, were childhood sweethearts but lost touch during the war

But after both were widowed, they eventually made contact again in 2011 when Mrs Bernie's daughter discovered Bob was living in Somerset.

They swapped numbers and spoke on the phone for the first time in 70 years - and were finally able to see they might have spent their entire lives together.

She said: "I didn’t know what I would say when I was waiting for that call. It had been too long, too much time had gone by. When I answered the phone, all he wanted to know was what had happened to me. He asked me what he did wrong.

"I didn’t say anything, I just burst into tears."

After rekindling their childhood romance, the pair are now to be married in the village of Pawlett near Bridgwater on Saturday.

Bernie said her parents actions had certainly had an impact (Pic: Apex)

Bernie has moved back to the UK and is marrying Bob with the blessing of her three children.

Bob said: "I thought well here's a couple of elderly people who could help one another in one way or another, so the decision was made [to get married].

And Bernie said her parents' actions had certainly changed their lives.

"We were absolutely devastated. It is an awful thing to interfere in someone’s life like that. Just awful. All the time we lost," she said.

"We have both had good marriages, good lives. But we always wondered what happened. It’s a terrible thing.’’

However, the pair remain upbeat about their future together.

"We both feel young at heart," Bernie added.

"We may only have a year together but it’s a year we never had. We are both old, both unwell, but we feel as though we are 18 again. Happiness is everything. Needless to say, he is a hopeless romantic and so am I."